Playing House
by speshulduck
Summary: interlude on the episode “risk.” we saw a ring on olivia’s finger when she came out of the house...anyone like to guess where it came from?


title: playing house  
  
author: duck  
  
rating: pg  
  
keywords: mild oe  
  
summary: interlude on the episode "risk." we saw a ring on olivia's finger when she came out of the house...anyone like to guess where it came from?  
  
author note: kukrae was too busy with another story to write it, so i tried. thank god for usa reruns...they make me write the damndest things.  
  
disclaimer: the episode and the characters aren't mine. the usual.  
  
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Elliot paced back and forth in front of the window. He kept checking his watch and then glaring out the window at the street. Olivia had been watching him from where she sat in the couch, but when it became apparent he wasn't going to stop anytime soon she decided to intervene.  
  
"So, Elliot, I don't think the DEA will appreciate you wearing tracks in their carpet." He stopped and gave her the same look he'd been shooting out the window. "Relax. We still have half an hour. Besides you're going to work yourself into a sweat and need another shower."  
  
He laughed at her teasing and dropped into a chair across from her, his bad mood retreating. They'd had to spend the night at the DEA's house in Forest Hills in case Kendall had been following him or decided to show up early. Olivia had discovered the hard way that morning that Elliot greatly preferred long showers, especially when someone else was footing the water bill.  
  
"You honestly expect me to not take advantage of these spacious accommodations?" he asked with an amused grin. He picked his glasses up from the table next to the chair and fiddled with them, still smiling.  
  
The house was rather nice; the only drawback was the one bathtub that Olivia had waited half an hour to use. She pulled her legs up under her and rested her left arm on the side of couch, pushing the radio that sat next to her out of the way. She stared at the ring on her finger, then twisted at it with her right hand. She and Elliot had done undercover operations before, but it still felt weird to pretend they were married. They got mistaken for a couple enough to be able to pull it off without much trouble, but wearing a ring gave her an odd feeling in her stomach.  
  
It didn't exactly fit too well either; her hands were just slightly too small for it. "You'd think with all the detail they do, they could have at least gotten my ring size right," she commented, looking up at Elliot. He quickly lost his smile and began to scrutinize his glasses carefully. "What?"  
  
"Nothing," he said quickly. "Why?" She squinted suspiciously at him. Actually, now that she was thinking about it, Elliot had been the one to hand over the ring.  
  
"What about the ring, Elliot?" she asked pointedly. He was making an effort not to look up. "Elliot," she said with a warning note in her voice.  
  
"It's Kathy's," he said very quietly. Olivia's mouth dropped open in shock.  
  
"I'm wearing your wife's wedding ring?" she asked, letting her disbelief color her tone. There was no way Elliot could have done something this colossally stupid. He nodded though, still not looking up. "You have got to be kidding me."  
  
"No."  
  
"You asked her if you could borrow her wedding ring?" He nodded again. "What did she say to that?"  
  
"Well, she asked why of course," he said, finally looking at her. She gazed at him expectantly. "And I told her."  
  
Olivia groaned loudly and covered her eyes with her hand. "You just told her it was for an undercover operation, right?" she asked without removing her hand.  
  
"Well, yeah," he said. There was something in his voice that told her that wasn't it. She wasn't disappointed. "She wanted to know who needed it."  
  
"Elliot," Olivia said slowly, enunciating every syllable in his name carefully. "Please tell me you did not tell her I was playing your wife, and I was using her wedding ring to do it." She cracked her fingers to peer at him and took her hand away entirely when she saw him staring at her expressionlessly.  
  
"Elliot, she hates me enough already. What could possibly possess you to tell her that?"  
  
"Um, honesty?" he asked. He went back to playing with his glasses.  
  
"What did she do? I can't believe she actually gave it to you." He offered her a small smile.  
  
"I had to duck a flying pot," he confessed. "Thankfully she hadn't put anything in it yet. And she was throwing it more to emphasize her point, so she wasn't actually aiming for me." He actually laughed a little bit.  
  
"And she hasn't served you with divorce papers yet?"  
  
"No, but I make no guarantees when I get home," he shrugged. "She's actually not mad at me anymore, after I explained that the DEA would only spring for so much and you not wearing a ring could get us both killed." Olivia snorted at him.  
  
"I doubt that Kendall would even notice."  
  
"He's a paranoid and observant cop," Elliot said, giving another shrug. "I don't want to risk your life or mine on this. Not even with a fake ring."  
  
"If this breaks up your marriage I'm putting all the responsibility on you," Olivia finally said, giving him her most unsympathetic look.  
  
"I told her you'd never even find out it was hers."  
  
"We see how well that went." He raised his hands in a gesture of appeasement.  
  
"Hey, I can't help that you're such a good detective."  
  
"Or that you're such a horrible liar," she shot back.  
  
"Only with you, Love," he said, grinning at her.  
  
"Don't make me come up with obnoxious nicknames for you," she warned. "I can pull out the worst names imaginable just for you."  
  
"Like what, Pookie?" He smiled at her innocently as she turned on her glare full force.  
  
"Dearest darling."  
  
"Baby doll."  
  
"Pumpkin."  
  
The names flew back and forth like tennis balls until Olivia finally burst out laughing at the horrified expression on Elliot's face when she called him "Love kitten."  
  
"I am not a kitten," he pronounced vehemently.  
  
"Aww, don't like the cuddly creatures?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice. "I know what I'm getting your kids for Christmas."  
  
"Olivia Benson, I will never speak to you again if you so much as think about it. Kathleen wanted one once and I threatened to make it into a stew if Kathy brought one home. Kittens are the spawn of Satan."  
  
"Wow," she said, trying to hide her amusement. "Who knew such adorable, fluffy babies had such evil origins?"  
  
"No cats. Ever," he ground out through his teeth.  
  
"I guess I'll just call you 'baby' then," she said, snickering.  
  
"I don't care whatever it is, as long as it doesn't involve cats in any way, shape, or form."  
  
"Whatever you say, Baby," she replied, still trying to contain giggles.  
  
"Laugh it up, Pookie," he said, finally smiling again.  
  
She let one giggle slip out. "Oh I intend to, Love Machine."  
  
"You know, that's what Kathy likes to call me."  
  
"I'd smack you on her behalf, but it's not worth the effort getting up," Olivia retorted. The radio next to her finally crackled to life and she held back her high spirits long enough to answer. "This is Benson."  
  
"We're ready," Fin said, his voice crackling with the static. He was in position to deliver the tiles with cocaine. In an instant Elliot and Olivia had both sobered and readied themselves to go, all signs of merriment gone.  
  
They had a drug ring to bust.  
  
[end] 


End file.
